All four games were all within three runs as American Athletic Conference baseball league play began on Thursday, April 1.

Thursday, April 1
No. 11 East Carolina 5, Cincinnati 4 - Box Score
UCF 5, USF 2 - Box Score
Memphis 4, Tulane 3 - Box Score
Houston 5, Wichita State 3 - Box Score

No. 11 East Carolina 5, Cincinnati 4 - Box Score
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Garrett Saylor struck out a career-high eight batters over four frames and Alec Makarewicz belted his fourth home run of the season helping No. 11 East Carolina to a 5-4 win over Cincinnati Thursday afternoon in American Athletic Conference action at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. With the win the Pirates improve to 19-5 on the season and 1-0 in league play, while the Bearcats fall to 11-11 and 0-1.
 
Trailing 4-2 going to the bottom of the seventh, the Pirates scored three runs taking a 5-4 lead. Thomas Francisco drew a one-out walk and took second on a wild pitch. Seth Caddell followed with an RBI double down the left field line pulling ECU within one. Two batters later, Makarewicz hammered a 2-1 offering from Conner Linn to left field that traveled 371 feet.
 
Saylor (2-0) got the win after working four perfect frames to go with his eight punch outs in relief. The right-hander, who entered the game after the Bearcats loaded the bases in the fourth with a 4-2 lead, struck out the side shutting down would-be big inning for Cincinnati. Ryder Giles notched his second save of the season after pitching a clean ninth with a strikeout. Carson Whisenhunt was touched for four runs (all earned) on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts in four-plus frames.
 
Linn (0-1) suffered the loss after being touched for three runs (all earned) on three hits with a walk in 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. Starter Zach Segal allowed just two runs (both earned) on eight hits with six punch outs and three walks in six innings. Jackson Murphy recorded the final two outs of the game for the Bearcats.

UCF 5, USF 2 - Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Knights opened the American Athletic Conference portion of their 2021 schedule with a 5-2 War on I4 victory over South Florida on Thursday. Colton Gordon earned his fourth win of the year with is 6.0 IP performance and allowed two runs or less for the seventh time this season.
 
The Knights trailed early, as USF launched a solo shot in the second inning and doubled their lead with a pair of singles in the fourth. The UCF pitching staff kept the Bulls off the board for the remainder of the game, stranding nine South Florida batters on the bases in the last five innings.
 
UCF struck back in the sixth inning, which started with John Montes launching his first career home run as a Knight into the woods beyond the USF Baseball Stadium right-field wall. Gephry Pena followed the freshman with what he does best, a base knock followed by a stolen base before Jordan Rathbone pushed him across with a double off the right field wall.
 
David Litchfield came in to toss 1.2 IP of shutout work and earn his second save of the season. The Black & Gold also added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Gephry Pena added two RBI to his list of accolades for the contest.

Memphis 4, Tulane 3 - Box Score
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Behind small ball and strong pitching, the Memphis Tigers earned a 4-3 win over the Tulane Green Wave Thursday in both team's first AAC matchup of the season. Blake Wimberley (W, 2-3) allowed just three runs over seven innings, while Walker Brockhouse (SV, 1) struck out five over two-perfect frames. Memphis tallied eight hits, all singles, and used a three-run fourth inning in route to the win.
 
Memphis (11-12, 1-0) began conference action at the home of the Green Wave, a stadium that the Tigers haven't won a series in since 2007. Tyler Hoffman (ND) got off to a strong start, as he held the Memphis offense in check while the Green Wave scored a run in the second and another in the third. A two-out RBI single from Ethan Groff gave Tulane (11-13, 0-1) the 1-0 lead in the second frame, while an RBI groundout from Bennett Lee made it 2-0 Green Wave after three innings.
 
The Tigers finally got to Hoffman in the fourth and did it on a walk and three singles, all of with either barely left the infield or didn't get passed the mound. Hunter Goodman led off the frame with a single and advanced on Alec Trela's walk. Attempting to sacrifice bunt, Taylor Howell was credited with a bunt single, and the throw to first base by Hoffman on Howell's bunt got passed Luis Aviles, which plated Goodman. After a sacrifice bunt from Ben Brooks, a sacrifice fly from Ian Bibiloni tied the game. Zach Wilson followed with an RBI single that plated Howell and gave the Tigers the 3-2 advantage.
 
After a shutdown bottom of the fourth from Wimberley, the righty gave up consecutive hits to start his fifth inning of work. Chase Engelhard led off the frame with a double and scored one batter later on a game-tying RBI single from Jacob Laprairie. The game was tied 4-4 after five innings and stayed that way until Memphis' at-bat in the seventh.
 
After a quality start from Hoffman, six innings and only three runs, the Green Wave turned to Lane Thomas (L, 0-1) for the seventh frame. Thomas faced just two batters, both of which reached base. Wilson drew a leadoff HBP while Jaylen Wilbon followed with a single. With runners on first and second, Tulane went back to the bullpen and brought in Keagan Gillies. Looking for the sacrifice, Braden Webb dropped down a perfect bunt to third base and beat out the play for a single, which loaded the bases with no outs. Though Gillies struck out Austin Baskin, Goodman followed with a sacrifice fly to shallow right field, which plated Wilson and proved to be the eventual game-winning play. Goodman's sacrifice fly made it 4-3 Tigers, the eventual final.
 
Wimberley departed for Brockhouse after seven innings and the Memphis reliever cruised through two-perfect innings. Brockhouse retired the 2-3-4 hitters on just 10 total pitches in the eighth and struck out the side in the ninth, as he secured Memphis' 4-3 win. The Tigers picked up their first true road victory of the season and begin conference play 1-0 for the first time since 2017.

Houston 5, Wichita State 3 - Box Score
HOUSTON – Houston starter Robert Gasser struck out a career-high 12 batters, leading the Cougars to a 5-3 win over Wichita State in the American Athletic Conference opener on Thursday night from Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.
 
The Cougars (13-11, 1-0 AAC) provided early support for Gasser, plating three in the first two innings including RBI-singles from second baseman Brad Burckel (1-for-2), who extended his on-base streak to 10 games, and center fielder Brandon Uhse (1-for-3), who has a hit in 18 of the last 23 contests.
 
Meanwhile, Gasser (4-2) did not allow a run in 7.2 innings, permitting just two hits alongside three walks and 12 strikeouts. The southpaw, who lowered his ERA to 1.65, has allowed one or no runs in five of seven starts and fanned nine-plus in four consecutive games.
 
Four days after walking off UT Arlington on a safety squeeze bunt, catcher Kyle Lovelace (1-for-3) set down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to plate Will Pendergrass (1-for-3) for a 4-0 lead in the fourth.
 
Wichita State starter Liam Eddy (2-4) allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out two and walking as many. The loss snapped Wichita State's four-game win streak and was Houston's ninth consecutive regular season victory against the Shockers (12-9, 0-1 AAC).